Channel Marker

I have become so hopelessly addicted to my Apple iPhone for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that it has saved my butt on more than one occasion when I have been unable to get to my notebook to update this and my other way-to-many blogs. Indeed, when my laptop crashed a few weeks back on a trip for TechTarget to Chicago, I even submitted the repair request using the built-in Safari Web browser.

Needless to say, I am HUNGRY for the July 11 update iPhone software, which will mean that I can download e-mail from my work accounts transparently. But I am dreading the onslaught which MUST becoming of security threats released by both the nefarious and naughty. Data from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) suggests that my feeling of dread is not unfounded. Here’s the blog entry that I wrote last month.

I also just found out about a new service from SMobile Systems that is worth your notice. The company offers something called the integrated Security Shield. The applications (which you get billed for on a monthly basis) can scout out viruses and malware delivered by e-mail, Bluetooth or WiFi. SMobile also has a spam filter, which is REALLY welcome by iPhone users like me who have no way right now of getting rid of the junk on our iPhone e-mail client. By the way, that’s the other cool thing: the SMobile software works across a really wide range smart phones and mobile phones.

Most people I talk to pooh-pooh the notion that they should be worried about security on their handheld. At the very least, encryption is a good investment as the wall between corporate and private data blurs. Every lose your BlackBerry?

Heather Clancy is a business journalist and strategic communications advisor with channel consulting company SWOT Management Group. She can be reached at hclancy@swotmg.com.

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Heather, Thanks for the link to Tekrati and the tip on SMobile. Based on the research, it's clear that concerns over mobile phone security are growing, although as you say, malware attacks get much less attention among consumers than the physical risk -- a smartphone being lost or stolen. Case in point: Dark Reading's recent article, Could a Smartphone Solve the Notebook Security Problem?.
I desperately need a spam filter on my own phone. Will follow up on the SMobile service.

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